Mail Call

October 04, 2006

Here are some of the calls we have received lately:

"Washington County schools should be closed for Jewish holidays. They are closed for Christian holidays, but not Jewish. It's not fair, and It's not right to choose which religion's holidays schools are closed for."

- Boonsboro High School student

"A Gallery page showing six pictures in Sunday's Herald-Mail said Tri-State fans kicked off the 2006 season and here were some pictures of early games. Since 25 Tri-State high-schools are playing football, then why should North High get three pictures; South High one; Greencastle-Antrim one and Williamsport one? The answer is, for The Herald-Mail only one high school is important; the others are space-fillers when needed."

"This is to the person complaining about all the parents driving their kids to school. Until the board can fix the transportation issues, I will continue driving my children to school. Since the beginning of the school year, children have had to stand in the aisle all the way home. After numerous calls to complain and numerous bus schedule change times, the busses are still way overcrowded and it is not safe for the children to ride them."

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- Hagerstown

"I would just like to say that it would be greatly appreciated if the Boonsboro police could please enforce the speed limit on Orchard Drive/drag strip.The speeders have gotten way out of control and I guess it's going to take a tragedy before something will be done. Especially after school lets out up until 1 to 2 in the morning. It's a shame that these kids don't have any respect for anyone else, but I hope sooner or later it will catch up to them."

- Boonsboro

"A Clear Spring caller claims that before the U.S. invaded Iraq, 'we were respected by all countries and now we are considered ruthless aggressors, and have lost the respect of most of the other nations.' If you step outside your bubble and read a little history, you will see that the U.S. has often been the aggressor, that we haven't always held the moral high ground, and that many countries have never liked us. First, we slaughtered most of the Indians and stole their land; in 1846, we invaded Mexico and took half their country; in 1898, we attacked Spain, taking Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam; we entered WWI, Korea, Vietnam, and the first Iraq war unprovoked. So please quit telling me the sky is falling."

- Hagerstown

"We taxpayers should applaud Mr. Paul Muldowney for the changes he initiated in the Maryland teachers retirement system. Even though public school teachers are appreciated and respected, their retirement benefits were grossly excessive and not affordable."

- Hagerstown

"I watch with interest when there's things on TV and the radio and the newspaper about obesity here in the U.S. Now I see that New York state is trying to ban the trans fat being used in food in restaurants and so forth. That's well and good, but I feel that the government should stay out of it. But now two hours later I'm watching HBO, and there's a sports special on, and college football coaches are encouraging high schoolers to build up their weight if they want to be a college offensive lineman. Here we are taking sodas and candies out of the high schools, and the colleges are encouraging high schoolers to build up their weight. It doesn't matter what the weight-to-muscle ratio is, you're still getting fat or obese."

- Hagerstown

"To the reader from Boonsboro: If trillions of dollars weren't being poured down the drain, along with the lifeblood of young men and women for a war that had nothing to do with 9/11, maybe more money could be spent on domestic programs, such as putting more policemen on the street. Think about it."

- Falling Waters, W.Va.

"This is concerning the Williamsport jayvee soccer game that I attended on Sept. 21, the first game I was able to go to this year that my granddaughter played in. I have degenerative arthritis of the spine and emphysema. Perfect strangers and my daughter and grandson helped me up to the top of the bleachers (so) that I could sit down and see my granddaughter play. I want you to know that there are nice, decent people still left in this world. I'm going to the next game, weather permitting, as long as I'm able to walk."

- Halfway

"This one's (for) Sharpsburg. The reason we haven't invaded Burma or Zimbabwe is because the average American doesn't even know where it is, and quite frankly, the U.S. can't save every country in the world. It's time we took care of our own. We shouldn't even have gone into Iraq, and now you've got us going into African countries to try and save them. Where do you suppose we're gonna get the troops for that? Are you signing up yourself?"